Over 50 years, when new tech was just beginning to show signs of what it could do, the philosopher/ critic, Lewis Mumford, wrote an essay describing” The Magnificent Bribe.” He was beginning to see how making something more convenient could overcome almost any negative aspect of whatever it was. He could see, early on, how easily greed and authoritarianism could be sold to almost everyone if it saved them fifteen minutes of labor, ten minutes of thinking through a problem, or make them a quick, quasi-honest buck. It could be toxic, addicting, have many hidden costs, including the loss of privacy. But hey, if I can just push a button, pick up a remote, or ask Alexa. Done and done.

BTW: Amazon is going to raise the price of Prime. I’m quitting.